You’ve dropped your laptop down the stairs, witnessed your mouse turn into the spinning wheel of death or felt the need to find a place to catch up on March Madness: where do you turn? The help desk. The help desk is the epitome of problem solving and holds BSM’s technological messiah, Bill Cheney.

Cheney is entering his sixth year working for the BSM help desk. In the help desk he takes on the role of ultimately ensuring that all of the technical aspects of BSM’s educational tools are working correctly and managed properly. “The name of my role is the Help Desk Coordinator. I run the help desk and that entails setting up all the computers and setting up what kind of software we use. That also means we also take care of the classrooms’ technology; we take care of projectors, assist with the new TVs, set up ACS computers, set up the new P.A. system. Anything that plugs into a wall, we have a great handle on,” Cheney said.

Cheney was originally contracted to BSM through another company he worked for called First Tech Computer, an Apple store in Uptown. He did repair jobs there and worked there for four to five years. When BSM decided to incorporate more technology in the classroom, they bought white unibody Macbook computers for all BSM students. The administration wanted someone with experience to be able to work on site to manage technical difficulties with more technology, so Cheney was one of the experts picked to come work at BSM.

“Some people have little computer problems, and others are completely devastated by computer issues, and it knocks them off their day. I’ve really had to learn how to treat people’s personalities differently; my job is a job that requires a lot of people skills,” Cheney said.

Since laptops were upgraded to MacBook Airs in 2014, more smartboards and other technological tools are being used in classrooms, and the help desk has had a higher demand for fixing all the technical issues that come with so much technology. With this demand, BSM has given students the opportunity to work in the help desk with Cheney. “We have student workers this year, which is new. There are kids working in here almost every period throughout the day. They take care of the easier tasks like computer restarts and printing jobs to allow me to keep busy and on task with bigger jobs,” Cheney said.

Cheney may be an expert when it comes to technical difficulties at BSM, but he’s also one of the most beloved and friendly faces at BSM; students constantly flow in and out of the help desk with the intention of simply talking sports or catching up with Cheney. Working at BSM since 2012, Cheney has felt like he’s grown with students while having the opportunity to see the seniors today start their BSM careers as seventh graders all the way through high school. “It’s really cool to be able to just follow everyone’s story and to see kids mature and really take off with their future. Having the privilege to see these kids as seventh graders evolve into who they are and who they want to be is something that I love about my job,” Cheney said.

Cheney is an amazing coordinator in the help desk and does an extraordinary job managing all the technical chaos of BSM. There are only so many people who have such a positive attitude towards each day, and Cheney is a true illustration of such enthusiasm.